Make or break for world rugby

● Covid-19 has rugby fighting for its survival.

The warnings are stark. “Competitions are the last thing on World Rugby’s mind right now. Never mind Super Rugby, Currie Cup or Tests, rugby is now in survival mode. This is make or break,” one high-ranked insider told the Sunday Times.

Bill Beaumont, World Rugby’s president, warned earlier that no stakeholder would be spared the wrath of Covid-19. USA Rugby has filed for bankruptcy, New Zealand is predicting a loss of R1.1bn, as is Rugby Australia, while England anticipate losses in the same ball park. SA Rugby too will suffer losses.

Sport is in limbo

Although the possible resumption of Super Rugby is Sanzaar’s most immediate concern, a large chunk of their losses may stem from the cancellation of the July Tests.

“We are well aware of the financial situation down south,” Beaumont told the Daily Mail. “The southern unions are looking at the July Tests and the northern unions are looking at the November Tests, but we are all in it together. There is no one who is going to make a lot of money during this time. Everyone is going to suffer.”

While the sport is in limbo most of the big federations are engaged in urgent teleconferences to find their way out.

It might, you’d think, be a good time to gaze into the crystal ball and predict how the game can mitigate future losses.

As one of rugby’s, and in fact all of sport’s unique offerings, Super Rugby has long intrigued and fascinated. Played across three continents, in five countries (with some played in Singapore and the occasional one in Fiji and Samoa), the tournament is spread across 16 time zones.

Maintain their appetite

It involves exhaustive travel that kicks sand in the face of player welfare while leaving a considerable carbon footprint. Moreover, in an age where pandemics may become a more regular occurrence the competition’s strength, which lies in its far-flung matchups, is also its weakness. In such a fragile climate it is difficult to see how the various stakeholders can maintain their appetite for an already tenuous tournament beyond 2025, when their broadcast deal expires.

The current crisis is perhaps the ideal opportunity for rugby bosses not just to set back-to-play protocols but to chart a new course for the sport. That might have been easier 12 months ago before the majority of Six Nations combatants opted not to throw their weight behind the proposed Nations League — World Rugby’s attempt at synchronising the calendar while levelling the playing field.

It’s a great opportunity

Instead, the Nations League was sacrificed at the altar of capitalist greed which firmly entrenched the status quo. Former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen however believes this is the opportunity to formulate a global season that aligns the hemispheres. “It’s going to be a different world we wake up to once sport starts again and it is a great opportunity, if we take it — World Rugby — to create a global season, start again and get it right,” he was quoted as saying on stuff.co.nz.

“We’ve got plenty of opportunity at the moment out of some adversity to rethink a few things and say ‘righto, let’s be bold here, let’s be strong here and do something different’.”

It’s going to be a different world we wake up to

Steve Hansen

Former All Blacks coach